https://www.polygon.com/e3/2018/6/9/17444644/madden-nfl-19-longshot-chapter-two-preview-ea-sports

I was crestfallen to learn that Jack Ford will not return to Madden NFL 19 for the next chapter of Longshot, the story mode introduced in last year’s game. Actor Rus Blackwell, with the writing and direction of EA Sports’ Mike Young and his friend and co-writer Adrian Todd Zuniga, delivered so much of the humanity that made the first Longshot the feel-good hit of sports video gaming in 2017. So it feels painful to realize Ford won’t be there to mentor the hero Devin Wade as he embarks on his NFL career in Longshot’s second chapter, coming this August.

And yet, it’s almost good news if you really dug Ford as a character, the way his dialogue was written and the way he was presented in the first Longshot in Madden NFL 18. Ford’s Ultimate Team persona was the most-used cosmetic item in last year’s game (i.e., putting him on the player’s sideline). From the depths of a cheesy reality TV show, Ford coached his kid into the league. And now, Young hopes players will find a new guiding spirit among an ensemble cast in an American football drama that will make a more concrete appeal to longtime players of the series.